Why Intolerance Is Bliss…

Finding out I was intolerant to gluten hit me hard. I love bread, I love beer, and I’ve never had much time to cook. Discovering I was lactose intolerant floored me. Goodbye cheese, and goodbye convenience. More than 12 months since my discovery, I can actually say it changed my life for the better – being intolerant to stuff isn’t the end of the world. I promise.

A year ago I had no time to cook – I was the master of plonking some pasta in some creamy sauce, shoving a garlic baguette in the oven, and patting myself on the back for my culinary skills. Discovering you have intolerances means that you have to check the labels on everything (why the hell is there wheat in cornflakes??). It also means that you learn that there are lots of things you can’t have; and lots of over-priced specialist versions of these that you can have. It’s a dilemma that often cause people to panic.

No, you don’t have to be ripped off. And you don’t have to spend 24/7 in the kitchen. If you can find a ‘free-from’ item that you’ll use and can’t make yourself, buy it. Don’t waste money buying the things that you either don’t need, or can make easily yourself. Start putting together simple meals that you never before made the effort to make. Make things for your whole family – my OH loves my gluten and lactose free cooking. It’s addictively satisfying.

Intolerances often cause fatigue and irritability. That was one of my main reasons for staying out of the kitchen – I didn’t have the energy, and I couldn’t be bothered. But if you’re prepared to put in a bit of effort, you’ll notice how much better your body feels when you fuel it with foods that it can digest properly, and I can honestly tell you there’s no better feeling.

you’ve written so wonderfully about your experience here; it’s great to see how you’ve come to live with and not mind your food allergies. You can definitely make such absolutely delicious things without gluten & dairy products! Oh, & thanks for stopping by RagamuffinDiaries!

Thank you for stopping by :) The very reason I blog about food is to remind myself that it can be just as, if not more interesting, to live gluten & dairy free – it forces me to be more creative than I used to be! – Kathryn :)